Catalan parliamentary election, 2006

Catalan parliamentary election, 2006
Catalonia
1 November 2006
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered 5,321,274 Increase0.3%
Turnout 2,982,108 (56.0%)
Decrease6.5 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Artur Mas José Montilla Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira
Party CiU PSC ERC
Leader since 7 January 2002 15 July 2006[1] 25 November 1996
Last election 46 seats, 30.9% 42 seats, 31.2% 23 seats, 16.4%
Seats won 48 37 21
Seat change Increase2 Decrease5 Decrease2
Popular vote 935,756 796,173 416,355
Percentage 31.5% 26.8% 14.0%
Swing Increase0.6 pp Decrease4.4 pp Decrease2.4 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Josep Piqué Joan Saura Albert Rivera
Party PPC ICV–EUiA C's
Leader since 4 September 2003 26 November 2000 9 July 2006
Last election 15 seats, 11.9% 9 seats, 7.3% Did not contest
Seats won 14 12 3
Seat change Decrease1 Increase3 Increase3
Popular vote 316,222 282,693 89,840
Percentage 10.7% 9.5% 3.0%
Swing Decrease1.2 pp Increase2.2 pp New party

Graphic of the results in the Catalan Parliament election, 2006, based in constituencies.
President before election

Pasqual Maragall
PSC

 Elected President

José Montilla
PSC

The 2006 Catalan parliamentary election was held on Wednesday, 1 November 2006, to elect the 8th Parliament of Catalonia, the regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. At stake were all 135 seats in the Parliament, determining the President of Catalonia.

Electoral system

The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia were elected in 4 multi-member districts, corresponding to Catalonia's four provinces, using the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation. As the community did not have an electoral law of its own passed into law at the time of the 2006 election, the electoral system came regulated under the community's Statute of Autonomy rules, and subsidiarily, under the Spanish general electoral law (Organic Law 5/1985, of the General Electoral Regime). As a result of the lack of an autonomous electoral law, seats were allocated to districts through specific Laws or Decrees for each election. For the 2006 election, seats were distributed as follows: Barcelona (85), Girona (17), Lleida (15) and Tarragona (18).

Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. Only lists polling above 3% of valid votes in each district (which includes blank ballots—for none of the above) were entitled to enter the seat distribution.[2][3]

Background

The November 2006 Catalan parliament election was an early one (the original election date was due for the Fall of 2007, roughly one year after the actual early election took place). This was mostly a result of the uneasy and controversial redaction of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia amended text, which has further expanded the authority of the Catalan Government ever since it was passed in June 2006.

The Statute amendment was approved in a referendum on June 18, 2006 in which 73.24% of voters were in favour of the new Statute, 20.57% of the votes were against. This referendum was noted for its huge abstention: only 48.85% of the electorate participated in it.

Since the 2003 elections a coalition of three left-wing parties, Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens-United and Alternative Left (ICV-EUiA) had been in power, with Pasqual Maragall as President. However, in May 2006 ERC, following internal tensions, left the coalition due to its disagreement on the final draft of the Statute of Autonomy which themselves had partially redacted, thus leaving Maragall without a majority and forcing him to call for this early election. On June 21, 2006 Maragall announced his intention to personally step down at the upcoming election, arguably due to the political erosion his government had suffered after an uneasy relationship with ERC.

Besides the issue of Catalan nationalism, the main issues of the campaign were taxes, social security, housing and immigration.

Unlike the previous 2003 election, when Convergence and Union (CiU) achieved a plurality of seats in the autonomous Parliament but did not get the highest number of votes (PSC achieved a narrow lead in votes, the discrepancy between votes number and seats being explained by the electoral law) in this occasion CiU won the elections both in seats and votes numbers. Still those weren't enough to have an absolute majority. Then, after coalition negotiations, the PSC, ERC and ICV-EUiA agreed to renew the three-party coalition that had been in power, which made PSC's leader José Montilla President.

This election saw a new party (Citizens-Party of the Citizenry) entering the autonomous parliament, which has increased the already high diversity of this parliament from five political parties with representation to now six, which contrasts with the increasingly bipartisan Spanish -and European in general- politic scenario.

Parties

Opinion polls

Vote estimations

Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. The lead column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the two parties with the highest figures. When a specific poll does not show a data figure for a party, the party's cell corresponding to that poll is shown empty.

Polling Firm/Link Last Date
of Polling		 Margin
of Error		 Sample
Size		 Lead
Regional Election November 1, 2006 26.8 31.5 14.0 10.7 9.5 4.7
Demoscopia October 25, 2006 29.1 32.1 14.9 11.6 9.5 ±2.8 pp 1,200 3.0
Opina October 24, 2006 30.0 30.5 13.0 10.0 10.0 ±2.8 pp 1,200 0.5
Feedback October 23, 2006 25.8 35.5 14.5 11.8 9.7 ±3.2 pp 1,000 9.7
Noxa October 23, 2006 28.4 34.0 12.5 10.2 10.9 ±3.2 pp 1,000 5.6
Opina October 22, 2006 30.0 30.0 13.0 10.5 10.5 ±2.5 pp 1,500 Tie
GESOP October 21, 2006 29.0 32.0 13.2 11.3 10.5 ±3.2 pp 1,000 3.0
DEP October 19, 2006 29.3 31.8 14.6 12.1 8.7 ±2.8 pp 1,237 2.5
Iberconsulta[lower-alpha 1] October 19, 2006 29.6 33.2 14.7 12.0 8.3 ±2.8 pp 1,200 5.6
Feedback October 16, 2006 27.4 35.9 15.0 10.1 9.1 ±3.2 pp 1,000 8.5
Opina October 16, 2006 31.5 29.3 15.5 10.7 9.0 ±3.1 pp 1,000 2.2
CIS October 15, 2006 27.8 33.7 14.8 10.2 8.9 ±2.2 pp 1,986 5.9
Feedback October 9, 2006 27.0 35.4 15.0 10.4 9.5 ±3.2 pp 1,000 8.4
Sigma Dos October 9, 2006 30.5 32.8 13.7 11.0 6.9 ±3.5 pp 800 2.3
Noxa October 9, 2006 29.0 35.5 12.1 10.5 10.4 ±3.2 pp 1,000 6.5
GESOP October 7, 2006 29.9 34.9 12.4 10.1 9.1 ±3.2 pp 1,000 5.0
Noxa September 21, 2006 29.3 33.4 13.8 10.4 9.5 ±3.5 pp 800 4.1
GESOP September 16, 2006 29.5 34.5 13.3 10.5 9.0 ±3.5 pp 800 5.0
Noxa July 19, 2006 32.4 34.2 12.3 10.2 8.3 ±3.5 pp 800 1.8
Opina June 11, 2006 33.5 30.5 3.0
GESOP June 7, 2006 31.0 35.0 13.0 10.5 7.0 ±4.1 pp 600 4.0
Opina May 30, 2006 33.8 31.2 13.1 9.8 8.9 ±3.1 pp 1,000 2.6
GESOP May 16, 2006 32.0 32.0 15.0 10.0 8.0 ±4.1 pp 600 Tie
GESOP April 19, 2006 31.0 32.0 16.0 10.3 7.4 ±3.5 pp 800 1.0
Noxa March 30, 2006 35.0 31.1 16.5 8.4 6.6 ±3.4 pp 850 3.9
GESOP February 4, 2006 30.7 31.5 14.8 12.9 7.5 ±3.5 pp 800 0.8
Noxa December 15, 2005 31.7 32.8 16.3 9.6 8.9 ±3.4 pp 850 1.1
Noxa November 11, 2005 33.2 27.3 16.7 13.7 7.1 ±5.0 pp 400 5.9
Noxa October 6, 2005 32.5 29.2 16.0 12.7 8.9 ±3.2 pp 1,000 3.3
GESOP October 5, 2005 32.0 32.0 15.3 10.8 7.5 ±3.5 pp 800 Tie
Noxa July 21, 2005 33.5 28.9 16.3 12.9 7.2 ±3.2 pp 1,000 4.6
GESOP July 3, 2005 31.5 31.5 15.5 11.3 7.5 ±3.5 pp 800 Tie
GESOP April 22, 2005 30.3 30.3 16.2 12.6 7.8 ±3.5 pp 805 Tie
Noxa March 10, 2005 34.2 29.2 15.0 10.8 9.3 ±3.4 pp 850 5.0
GESOP January 18, 2005 34.7 31.6 13.9 10.4 7.0 ±3.5 pp 800 3.1
Noxa November 12, 2004 32.4 28.9 16.8 10.8 9.6 ±3.4 pp 850 3.5
Vox Pública September 29, 2004 33.5 30.7 15.2 11.5 6.7 ±3.5 pp 802 2.8
Vox Pública July 1, 2004 34.0 30.5 15.7 9.8 7.5 ±3.5 pp 800 3.5
EP Election June 13, 2004 42.9 17.4 11.8 17.8 7.2 25.1
General Election March 14, 2004 39.5 20.8 15.9 15.6 5.8 18.7
Regional Election November 16, 2003 31.2 30.9 16.4 11.9 7.3 0.3

Parliamentary seat projections

Opinion polls showing seat projections are displayed in the table below. The highest seat figures in each polling survey have their background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Color key:

  Exit poll

68 seats needed for a majority
Polling Firm/Link Last Date
of Polling
Regional Election November 1, 2006 37 48 21 14 12
Ipsos-Eco Consulting November 1, 2006 37/40 45/48 21/24 13/15 10/12
Demoscopia October 25, 2006 40/41 47/48 20/22 14/15 10/12
Opina October 24, 2006 42/43 43/47 19/22 13/14 13/14
Feedback October 23, 2006 35/37 52/54 20/21 14/15 10/13
Noxa October 23, 2006 38/40 50/52 17/19 13 13/15
Infortécnica October 22, 2006 39/40 56/58 16/17 13/14 8/10
Opina October 22, 2006 42/43 45 20 14 13/14
CiU October 22, 2006 35/36 54 19/20 14 10/13
GESOP October 21, 2006 39/41 47/49 19/20 14/15 12/13
DEP October 19, 2006 38/39 49/50 20/21 15 10/11
Iberconsulta October 19, 2006 40/41 47/49 20/22 14/15 10/11
Feedback October 16, 2006 37 53/54 20 13/14 11
Opina October 16, 2006 43 43 23/24 13/14 12
CIS October 15, 2006 39 50/52 21 13/14 10/11
Feedback October 9, 2006 37 52 20/21 13/14 12/13
Sigma Dos October 9, 2006 42/43 49/52 19/21 14/15 8
Noxa October 9, 2006 38/40 52/54 16/18 13 12/13
GESOP October 7, 2006 40/41 52/53 18/19 12/13 10/11
Noxa September 21, 2006 40 50/51 19/20 13 12
GESOP September 16, 2006 40/41 51/52 19/20 13/14 10/11
Noxa July 19, 2006 44 51 17 13 10
Opina June 11, 2006 46 45
Opina May 30, 2006 48 46 20 12 9
Noxa March 30, 2006 47/48 45/46 22/23 10/11 8/9
Noxa December 15, 2005 42/44 47/48 23/24 11/13 10
CiU December 13, 2005 40 48 22 15 10
Noxa November 11, 2005 46 39/40 23/24 17/18 8/9
Noxa October 6, 2005 44 43 23 15 10
Noxa July 21, 2005 46 41 23 15 10
Noxa March 10, 2005 45/47 43/44 21/22 14 10/11
Noxa November 12, 2004 44 43 23 14 11
Regional Election November 16, 2003 42 46 23 15 9

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 1 November 2006 Catalan Parliament election results →
Party Vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Won +/−
Convergence and Union (CiU) 935,756 31.52 Increase0.58 48 Increase2
Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Citizens for Change (PSC-CpC) 796,173 26.82 Decrease4.34 37 Decrease5
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 416,355 14.03 Decrease2.41 21 Decrease2
People's Party of Catalonia (PPC) 316,222 10.65 Decrease1.24 14 Decrease1
Initiative for Catalonia Greens-United and Alternative Left (ICV-EUiA) 282,693 9.52 Increase2.24 12 Increase3
Citizens-Party of the Citizenry (C's) 89,840 3.03 New 3 Increase3
The Greens-Ecologists of Catalonia (EV-EVC) 17,900 0.60 Increase0.04 0 ±0
Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) 13,730 0.46 New 0 ±0
Unsubmissive Seats (Ei) 6,922 0.23 Increase0.16 0 ±0
Catalan Republic Party (RC) 6,024 0.20 New 0 ±0
Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) 5,632 0.19 Increase0.06 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 4,798 0.16 Increase0.08 0 ±0
The Greens-Green Alternative (EV-AV) 3,228 0.11 Increase0.05 0 ±0
Blank ballots 60,244 2.03 Increase1.12
Total 2,968,534 100.00 135 ±0
Valid votes 2,968,534 99.54 Decrease0.20
Invalid votes 13,574 0.46 Increase0.20
Votes cast / turnout 2,982,108 56.04 Decrease6.50
Abstentions 2,339,166 43.96 Increase6.50
Registered voters 5,321,274
Source(s):
Vote share
CiU
  
 31.52%
PSC-CpC
  
 26.82%
ERC
  
 14.03%
PPC
  
 10.65%
ICV-EUiA
  
 9.52%
C's
  
 3.03%
Others
  
 2.40%
Blank ballots
  
 2.03%
Parliamentary seats
CiU
  
 35.56%
PSC-CpC
  
 27.41%
ERC
  
 15.56%
PPC
  
 10.37%
ICV-EUiA
  
 8.89%
C's
  
 2.22%

Results by province

Party BC GI LL TA Total
CiU S 27 7 7 7 48
V 29.9 38.2 40.0 32.4 31.5
PSC S 25 4 3 5 37
V 27.9 22.1 22.0 26.0 26.8
ERC S 11 4 3 3 21
V 12.6 19.2 17.7 17.6 14.0
PPC S 10 1 1 2 14
V 11.2 7.2 9.1 11.0 10.7
ICV-EUiA S 9 1 1 1 12
V 10.4 7.6 6.6 6.5 9.5
C's S 3 0 0 0 3
V 3.5 0.9 1.0 2.4 3.0
Others V 2.5 2.8 1.3 2.4 2.5
Blank 2.0 2.0 2.3 1.7 2.0
Total seats 85 17 15 18 135
Turnout 55.9 57.1 59.0 54.1 56.0

Results by comarques

Comarque CiU PSC ERC PPC ICV C's Lead Turnout
Alt Camp 36.7 23.6 22.0 7.5 6.0 0.9 +13.1 58.2
Alt Empordà 37.1 22.5 18.0 9.6 7.1 1.2 +14.6 56.3
Alt Penedès 36.7 25.8 16.9 6.5 8.8 1.2 +10.9 62.3
Alt Urgell 44.2 21.2 16.3 7.0 7.4 0.6 +23.0 59.7
Alta Ribagorça 40.7 29.8 11.6 5.7 7.2 0.7 +10.9 57.1
Anoia 35.5 26.8 16.0 8.4 7.7 1.1 +8.7 56.4
Bages 38.9 23.9 17.8 6.6 7.9 1.0 +15.0 59.4
Baix Camp 33.3 23.5 18.1 11.6 6.6 2.8 +9.8 53.3
Baix Ebre 30.8 28.0 22.3 7.7 6.4 0.8 +2.8 56.4
Baix Empordà 36.7 24.7 18.6 6.9 7.6 0.9 +12.0 56.1
Baix Llobregat 24.1 35.0 10.3 11.5 10.5 4.0 −10.9 54.0
Baix Penedès 32.1 29.8 13.2 11.5 6.9 2.8 +2.3 49.0
Barcelonès 27.5 27.5 11.3 13.3 11.5 4.5 −0.0 57.4
Berguedà 43.6 20.6 20.8 4.5 5.8 0.4 +22.8 63.1
Cerdanya 45.2 16.2 19.5 7.7 6.0 0.7 +25.7 56.9
Conca de Barberà 38.8 26.0 17.8 5.4 7.1 0.3 +12.8 62.8
Garraf 30.1 28.7 13.5 10.5 9.8 3.1 +1.4 54.6
Garrigues 42.5 19.0 23.4 6.4 5.1 0.3 +19.1 65.8
Garrotxa 44.5 18.8 20.2 4.7 6.8 0.2 +24.3 63.4
Gironès 34.4 22.9 20.3 7.3 9.2 1.3 +11.5 59.2
Maresme 36.0 23.1 14.6 10.1 9.2 2.7 +9.9 57.9
Montsià 33.9 28.1 19.1 8.3 6.1 0.9 +5.8 55.4
Noguera 43.6 19.6 19.7 8.1 5.3 0.4 +23.9 63.1
Osona 44.7 15.4 23.6 4.4 6.9 0.4 +21.1 66.0
Pallars Jussà 42.5 26.7 15.5 4.6 7.4 0.2 +15.8 63.3
Pallars Sobirà 42.2 25.3 17.6 4.3 6.8 0.3 +16.9 66.5
Pla de l'Estany 42.5 13.8 25.9 4.6 7.8 0.5 +16.6 66.2
Pla d'Urgell 43.3 19.1 21.3 6.9 5.4 0.5 +22.0 65.9
Priorat 34.6 20.6 28.0 5.0 7.7 0.3 +6.6 70.6
Ribera d'Ebre 35.1 27.1 22.0 5.9 6.0 0.5 +8.0 66.0
Ripollès 47.4 19.7 17.6 4.3 6.0 0.1 +27.7 64.8
Segarra 42.5 15.5 21.5 8.4 7.1 0.3 +21.0 62.4
Segrià 36.2 24.7 15.1 11.7 7.2 1.7 +11.5 56.9
Selva 38.3 23.4 18.1 7.6 7.3 1.1 +14.9 53.1
Solsonès 45.8 13.6 23.4 6.2 7.1 0.2 +22.4 64.7
Tarragonès 29.2 26.8 13.8 15.0 6.8 4.3 +2.4 52.5
Terra Alta 42.0 25.2 15.5 10.2 4.0 0.4 +16.8 69.1
Urgell 42.2 18.1 22.0 7.1 6.3 0.5 +20.2 63.9
Val d'Aran 37.4 32.6 6.4 14.2 4.9 1.3 +4.8 53.1
Vallès Occidental 29.3 29.5 11.9 10.2 10.8 3.6 −0.2 54.1
Vallès Oriental 33.5 27.2 13.6 9.4 9.3 2.5 +2.1 56.2
Barcelona 29.9 27.9 12.6 11.2 10.4 3.5 +2.0 55.9
Girona 38.2 22.1 19.2 7.2 7.6 0.9 +16.1 57.1
Lleida 40.0 22.0 17.7 9.1 6.6 1.0 +18.0 59.0
Tarragona 32.4 26.0 17.6 11.0 6.5 2.4 +6.4 54.1
TOTAL 31.5 26.8 14.0 10.7 9.5 3.0 +4.7 56.0

Post-election

Investiture voting

24 November 2006
Investiture voting for José Montilla (PSC)
Absolute majority: 68/135
Vote Parties Votes
Yes Yes PSC (37), ERC (21), ICV (12)
70 / 135
No CiU (48), PP (14), C's (3)
65 / 135
Abstentions
0 / 135
Source: Historia Electoral

Notes

  1. ↑ Poll results are shown projected over candidacy votes (that is, votes going for political parties, excluding blank ballots). The vote percentage in the official election is calculated including blank ballots into the estimation. In order to obtain data comparable to both the official results as well as those of other polls, a rule of three has been applied to the poll projections, with the results of the calculation being shown instead.

References

  1. ↑ "Montilla, elegido candidato del PSC a la Generalitat con el 98% de los votos". El País. 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  2. ↑ "Organic Law 5/1985, of 19 June, of the General Electoral Regime".
  3. ↑ "Organic Law 6/2006, of 19 July, of Reform of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia".
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